Another injunction aimed at Anaheim gang

Yesenia Rojas and residents of Anna Drive feel under siege by a group of protesters from outside the area and say they can't begin to heal when outsiders create more friction between residents and the police. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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ANAHEIM – Law-enforcement officials moved Wednesday to restrict the activities of those they believe to be members of an Anaheim street gang in an area that has seen a rise in violent and gang crime, as well as community unrest and police mistrust, over the past several years.

Anaheim and Orange County District Attorney's Office investigators served an injunction to 54 people they believe to be gang members in a square-mile area bordered by Orangethorpe Avenue, State College Boulevard, Sycamore Street and East Street/Raymond Avenue.

The injunction, which also covers a sliver of Fullerton, is the fourth in Anaheim and the 12th countywide.

The area covered by the injunction includes Anna Drive, where the officer-involved shooting death of Manuel Diaz last year led to several days of large-scale protests that culminated in a near-riot in the city's downtown.

Gang injunctions are civil orders restricting the actions of those believed to be gang members within designated "safety zones," where authorities have documented a rise in gang activity and crime.

Authorities say those named in the injunctions are believed to be the most active members of the gangs, based on evidence documented by gang investigators and officers.

Violating the terms of the injunction, which among other things bars associating with other gang members, intimidation, drug sales, public consumption of alcohol, wearing gang clothes or showing gang signs, could result in a misdemeanor charge of violating a court order and a sentence of up to six months in jail.

Police say the latest Anaheim injunction is aimed at the same street gang targeted last year in Operation Halo, a yearlong joint federal and local law-enforcement investigation that resulted in the arrests Aug. 10 of more than 30 people and the confiscation of more than 30 weapons during a predawn raid.

"As we were navigating through that investigation, we realized a gang injunction would help there also," Anaheim police Sgt. Bob Dunn said.

While putting together the injunction, police and prosecutors documented three murders, four attempted murders, 304 drug or paraphernalia violations, a dozen robberies and eight vehicle thefts, among other crimes, that took place from January 2008 to September 2012, a statement from the District Attorney's Office said.

Investigators also spoke to residents and community members who said they had been intimidated by and were in fear of gang members in the area, authorities said.

"The families and community members in these neighborhoods have asked law enforcement to help after being terrorized and victimized by this gang," District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said in a statement.

"They have the right to live free from fear and deserve our efforts to use every available legal tool to take back the streets for these good, hard-working people."

The injunction comes as police battle a spike in violent crime in the city, which rose by 10 percent in 2011 and an additional 5 percent in 2012 after years of trending downward.

Along with the overall increase in crime, authorities last year said a larger percentage of the violent incidents were perpetrated by gang members.

Meanwhile, police leaders are working to rebuild trust with residents of some of the city's working-class neighborhoods after the protests of last year's fatal officer-involved shootings exposed deep divisions in the community.

Countywide, District Attorney's Office officials say the injunctions, which have also been instituted in portions of Fullerton, Garden Grove, Orange, Santa Ana, Stanton, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, have resulted in drops in crime of up to 65 percent in some areas.

"We look forward to working with the community to realize the same reduction in this safety zone," Dunn said.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups have criticized the injunctions, contending that they rely on racial profiling and alleging that some of those named in the injunctions are not gang members.

Related Links

Yesenia Rojas and residents of Anna Drive feel under siege by a group of protesters from outside the area and say they can't begin to heal when outsiders create more friction between residents and the police. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Anaheim police in tactical gear secure La Palma Avenue and Anna Drive after a civil uprising because a man was killed in an officer-involved shooting on Anna Drive. KEVIN WARN, THE REGISTER
Anaheim police in tactical gear arrive on La Palma Avenue and Anna Drive after a civil uprising because a man was killed in an officer-involved shooting on Anna Drive. KEVIN WARN, FOR THE REGISTER
Anaheim police in tactical gear secure La Palma Avenue and Anna Drive after a civil uprising because a man was killed in an officer-involved shooting on Anna Drive. KEVIN WARN, FOR THE REGISTER
Members of By Any Means Necessary planned a protest march from Anna Drive to City Hall in Anaheim, but residents of Anna Drive say they are disrupting the peace in their neighborhood, and they are not helping their cause. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Protesters from BAMN, a youth-led civil-rights movement, were not welcome by residents of Anna Drive and were asked to leave. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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